Childhood Dreams
by SpookyClaire
Summary: Fox Mulder is getting hit around and the Scully family is there to the rescue! Being a kid is better when you have friendsespecially 'numnuts' like Bill and Charlie, but they're the best partin a Mulder and Scully's childhood! COMPLETED!
1. Meetings

Title: Childhood Dreams

Note: This is set in modern times...so just work with me here...and I know the geography is all weird, but please be kind! Use your 'suspension of disbelief.' It's _The X-Files_ for crying out loud! Anything can happen! ; )

Summery: Fox Mulder is getting hit around and the Scully family is there to the rescue!

Special Thanks: To my older sister who edited it and made it 15 billion times better...and for being my Bill...I'm the Charlie! HAAA!

Haha, yeah we make a great pair. All the Bill and Charlie moments... yep, that's a knee slapper.

Disclaimer: All the characters and stuff belong to all the people who own them, yadda, yadda... but the awesome new personalities belong to US! Ha! Take that Chris Carter!

October 28

3:15 PM

Dana Scully walked down the street with her sister and 2 brothers. It was Friday...at their _new_ school. Captain Scully had just been transferred to a port in Rhode Island. Martha's Vineyard was the closest town to the port, so the Scullys were just settling into their new house. School had just let out and as they walked home the Scully children were rehashing the day's events. Dana had been in a bad mood all day because Bill accidentally ripped her necklace off her neck while playing tag. Even though he said he was sorry, she couldn't find it anywhere. She wasn't in the mood to listen to any of the stories her brothers and sister were talking about.

As usual Missy was the first to talk.

"I heard some stuff today."

"Like?" asked Bill. They loved listening to Missy's stories.

"You know that Maria girl and Marsi girl I've been talking about?"

"Yea," said Charlie

"Turns out they're GAY."

"WHAT!" screamed the two boys in laughter

"Yup, Anna caught the two kissing."

Dana rolled her eyes and looked away as the other 3 became engaged in conversation.

She saw a lonely boy walking alone on the other side of the street looking dark and sad. She had heard his name was Fox Mulder. 17 years old, apparently turned 17 a few weeks ago...he had no one to celebrate it with. She had seen him around school and evidently had no friends. Everyone thought he was a freak. She felt sorry for the poor boy as she saw him, with his head down, turn on to Hemlock Street.

Right as dinner ended and the Scully children where washing dishes there was a knock at the door. Dana opened it.

A young boy, maybe 6 feet, with poorly cut brown hair, and hazel-gray eyes stood there looking down at Dana, who was about 4"11. The boy from before!

"Um, are you Dana?" he asked

"Yes."

"This is yours then. I found it as I helped clean up the school today." He handed her _the_ necklace. "I-I've seen you wearing it..."

"Omigod! Thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done without it!" she said graciously. She held out her hand "Dana Scully."

"Fox Mulder." They shook hands and Dana could havesworn that there was a spark between their hands. They paused "Well, ok then…" he began to leave.

"Wait, um, we have homemade chocolate pie…my mom made it…would you like a piece?" she asked. He smiled.

"Ok, if you're ok with it." He had watched her at school. She was so beautiful, and not like any of the other girls.

Fox walked in after her as she led them to the kitchen.

"Mom, this is Fox Mulder. He brought back my necklace. _Bill_ ripped it off my neck this morning."

"Hey! I said I was sorry!" Bill yelled back from the kitchen sink.

Dana just rolled her eyes and asked, "Can we have a piece of pie?"

"Of course honey, here." She handed them two pieces "You can eat it in the living room." Maggie knew Fox would feel awkward in the kitchen with the other kids. They had told her about Fox and she wanted him to feel comfortable. Everyone needs a good friend, and it seemed like Fox really needed a friend like Dana.

Fox followed Dana to her living room. Dana felt sorry for him and wanted him to feel comfortable around her. They sat down in front of the couch and began to eat

"So, Fox. I've seen you around school…"

"So you couldn't keep your eyes off me, aye?" Dana laughed because it was true. How could she not notice the 6 foot, lanky boy who looked so down all the time?

"Haha, yeah really. You're too tall to miss. But I don't see you around anyone else. Do you have any good friends?"

Fox looked down slightly. He knew it was true, but he couldn't tell her that. "No one that special, I try to keep it on the down low. I mean how else do you think I keep the ladies off me? I guess I'm a bit _spooky_."

Dana liked the way he could joke about everything, it was nice to know someone had her sense of humor around this town. "So, not even any brothers or sisters?" She knew she hit a sour note when she mentioned this because his face seemed to go from being lighthearted to that familiar dark look he always bore.

"Well, I guess that depends on what time of my life you are referring to."

Dana was a little confused by the comment, What is THAT supposed to mean? she wondered. She was about to ask him about it when his cell phone rang. He gave an apologetic look, it had only been about ten minutes but they felt like good friends already.

"Hello. Mom? Yea I'm at a friend's house…ok I'll come home." he hung up. "I have to go…" he said.

"Wait Fox, come over tomorrow around 12, ok?"

He smiled, "Ok…this is my cell number, call me whenever." He wrote it down on a sheet of paper and she walked him to the door.

Dana walked into the kitchen and put the dirty plates into the sink. She looked at the number he wrote on the paper and sat down at the table with her siblings and mother, who were all eating their piece of pie. She knew there was more to Fox then he was telling, but what?

"Oooo! _Dana-has-a-boy-friend_!" sang Charlie at the site of the paper. Bill and Charlie began to sing the famous 'Sitting in a Tree' song when Maggie shot them a look that said _don't tease your sister_.

"No I don't. I just want him to have a friend. He looks so sad all the time, but he's actually really funny. You'd like him." Dana said to Bill and Charlie.

"Interesting..." they said together, smirking at the thought of another joker to hang with. Oh the trouble they could cause...

"Fox huh? I hear stuff about him you know." Missy said.

"How?"

"I hear about him _ALLLLLLLLLLLL_ the time!" she said sipping her milk

"Hear about him how?" the boys asked eagerly.

"People talk about him Dans." she replied, ignoring the boys excited looks. God, they loved gossip just as much as any other girl.

"Why is he so upset then?" asked Dana

"Well, ok, so he had a sister, but she disappeared-"

"So that's what he meant..."

"What?"

"Well, I asked if he had siblings and he said 'I guess which period of my life your referring to..."

"GO ON!" cried the boys

"Ok, well, rumors say the dad killed her but there was never a body found. People say he chopped her up and buried her in different caves near the beach!"

"That's horrible!" Dana and Maggie said, their hands over their mouths.

"COOL!" yelled Charlie and Bill. They were going to have to go cave hunting this summer.

After Maggie told them that it really _wasn't_ cool, Missy continued. "So anyway, his father started leaving home early and coming home late, and the next day Fox would have bruises in different spots and once even a broken arm. He would always just say he played rough sports…." she trailed off

Dana's mouth hung open.

"Poor boy…" whispered Mrs. Scully. She'd definitely have to tell her husband about this.

"Well, um...he's coming over tomorrow at 12." said Dana

"Cool!" said her brothers, wanting to know more about him.

"Boys! Watch out or you'll get chocolate all over your clean shirts!" Maggie warned as Bill's elbow slammed right in the center of his pie.

"Eww, sick man!" snickered Charlie. Bill grabbed Charlie's foot and smashed it into his pie when Maggie's back was turned to them. Missy and Dana had quite enough and groaned as they headed upstairs to bed.

When they reached the top of the stairs they could just hear their mom exclaim, "Now how did you boys manage to get his foot in there?"

Somehow the boys found this extremely amusing.

October 29

7:23 AM

The next morning the Scully family sat down to a pancake breakfast. Maggie even made her chocolate chip pancakes that no child could resist.

"Now boys, I don't want ANY body parts in your breakfast, understand?"

"Oh don't worry mom." replied Charlie a little too cheery. When she continued to make the pancakes, Bill and Charlie stuck their old Power Ranger action figures into the center of their stacks. When Maggie heard the boys giggling she knew they had done something... again.

"Oh boys! Those smelly old things? In the center of my famous chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Well mom, you didn't say anything about Power Ranger limbs in the food, just ours." replied Bill with a little bit of a wise-ass tone.

"Kids, get the toys out of the food. Now." ordered William, who had just walked in to hear the tail end of the conversation. The boys quickly took the toys out and waved them in front of the girls who had just walked in.

"You guys are such dorks." sighed Missy, who felt it was a little too early to be pulling any pranks. That was until she sat down and heard loud fart go off. Everyone looked at her and she looked under her seat cushion and saw the boys' whoopee cushion.

"Oh, you guys will _pay_!" hissed Missy. Everyone else erupted into laughter, even William chuckled a little bit. Bill and Charlie gave each other a high five, they were on a roll today.

As everyone calmed down finally and dug into their pancakes they heard the doorbell ring.

"Who would be here this early?" asked William, who hadn't looked away from his morning paper. All four children went running to answer the door. Dana rushed out and got to the door first while the other three were stuck in the kitchen door.

"Hello? Oh, Fox! What are you doing here this early? My mom made chocolate chip pancakes! Come on in...Fox?"

She looked at him and realized he hadn't moved since she opened the door. She was almost afraid to see what he was trying to hide. Slowly she lifted his head up and gasped.

"Numnuts you're blocking the door...omigod Fox! What happened?" asked a suddenly concerned Charlie. Bill and Missy came up behind Charlie and stopped dead in their tracks.

His right cheek was bruised, his left eye was swollen shut, and his bottom lip was busted open bleeding all over his chin. Fox looked down again, self-conscious at all their staring.

"I shouldn't of come...never mind-" he mumbled to himself, as if no one else was there.

Dana grabbed his arm, trying to say it wasn't a mistake at all, but he flinched like she had punched him in that swollen face of his.

"Fox, what the hell happened to you?" asked Bill. He had never seen someone so beat up before, not even on that COPS show he and Charlie made fun of all the time.

"...Come inside..." said Missy, who realized the neighbors were starting to stare. She knew Fox had a bad enough reputation as it was and didn't want anything else for the bottom suckers to feed off of.

As they ushered him inside, they saw what a bad limp he had on his right leg. Dana and Bill each grabbed an arm and Charlie shut the door behind them. Slowly they supported him to the living room couch where he sank into the soft cushions, completely exhausted.

"Who is it?" asked Maggie from the kitchen.

"I'll get mom and dad." said Missy running out.

William and Maggie walked into the living room. They saw Fox, his hands locked in between his knees, his head down, and his shoulders hunched. William looked at Maggie and walked over. He knelt down in front of the broken boy and put his hand on his shoulder. Fox flinched away as if preparing to be hit.

"Fox?" he asked gently. Fox looked up and William saw the damage.

"Oh God Fox...what happened..." then it clicked "Was it...your father?"

Tears welled up in the young boy's eyes, and to every one's surprise he threw his arms around William and hugged him tight, like a child would hug his father after falling and scraping his knee. William was like the father Fox would never have.

"Fox we need to do something about this!" cried Maggie, kneeling next to her husband and putting her hand on Fox's knee.

"Do you honestly think you're the first person to make that social services call? One day I came into school limping, apparently my teacher had had enough, and she called the police. My father worked high in the government and by the time I came home the call was made to have never happened. That night my father snapped my arm like a twig...please don't make that call!" he begged "He'll kill me!"

"Well..."

"Then you'll be staying the night until forever." said Dana confidently. Fox smiled at them. Missy, Bill, and Charlie all gave him the thumbs up like he was already part of the family.

Maggie looked into the boy's eyes,(the good one at least) he looked exhausted.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

Fox shook his head, "I couldn't...I had to watch out for...him..." he whispered. Maggie lovingly took the boy into her arms and brought him into the bathroom to fix up his bruises. William ushered his children back into the kitchen to finish up breakfast. No one was in the chipper mood they had been in earlier, not even Bill and Charlie. The rest of breakfast went on uneventful.

When they went to check on Fox and Maggie, he was already asleep on Charlie's bed. Maggie warned them to stay out of Bill and Charlie's room until he woke up. Charlie made a face as if he cared, but then saw how upset his mother was and pretended to whistle.

November 1

12:45 PM

Dana sat in her bedroom with the small TV playing _The Twilight Zone_. She and Fox where both propped up on the floor with their backs on the bed drinking root beer and eating the stash of candy they were able to keep away from Bill and Charlie. Just yesterday on Halloween they all went trick-or-treating as aliens with tin foil hats and outfits and green makeup all over. Bill and Charlie were even able to scare a group of little girls. That is, until Missy dropped out of a tree on top of them screaming like a banshee. Both of the boys screamed and ran a block away, but then turned around when they realized it was Missy and not a real alien. Fox and Dana were laughing so hard they almost peed through their tin foil outfits. Who knew they could screamed like girls? Missy and Dana would never let this one go.

As they were reflecting on last evening's events, a basketball came flying through the open window hitting the two on the knees. Fox and Dana got up, looked out the window, and saw Bill and Charlie looking up at them, laughing as usual.

"TOLD YOU I COULD GET IT THROUGH!" said Bill triumphantly.

"Ahhh, shut up. HEY GUYS! WE'RE GONNA GO SWIMMING!" Charlie yelled. The town had a heated indoor pool nearby and it was one of the local hangouts for the neighborhood kids. They could go in it whenever, even in the fall. And luckily it had been one of the warmer falls that year.

"Yea we're going now! Today is the last day they have the pool open until spring. Everyone is going there to have one last swim!" Bill yelled as he ran down the street.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME YOU DOPE!" Charlie screamed after him.

Just then they heard the door slam and saw Missy running after Charlie and Bill screaming, "HURRY UP YOU TWO! IF YOU GET THERE TOO LATE THEN THE JANITOR, OLD MAN HIGGINS, WILL PULL OUT ALL OF YOUR TEETH AND PUT THEM IN HIS RUSTY BAD CHILDREN BUCKET!"

Dana and Fox shrugged their shoulders and ran to get some swimming suits. Sounds like Missy has been talking to Anna again Dana thought.

About 10 minutes later, Dana and Fox ran in (avoiding Old Man Higgins) just in time to see Charlie push Bill into the pool. Following Bill, Fox and Dana jumped in, then Missy and Charlie. Almost everyone from the neighborhood was there, and Bill and Charlie were the center of attention. Everyone watched with wide eyes as they cracked jokes and imitated "Bay Watch." Missy, Dana, and Fox couldn't stop laughing as Bill and Charlie imitated the girls running down the beach, using beach balls for their boobs. At one point they even pretended Dana was a drowning old man and had to save her. Missy spent a lot of time talking with Anna, but after awhile she joined in on Bill and Charlie's mischief. Everyone played a giant game of 'Marco Polo' until the lifeguard finally told them it was time to go.

By the time they looked out the windows, it was starting to get dark. Reluctantly they dried off and said their final season goodbye to the pool. Bill and Charlie put their hands over their hearts and stood at attention saying their final goodbye. Missy rolled her eyes and smacked them both in the head to hurry them up. Just then Fox's cell phone rang. It was his mother, and by the look on his face, it wasn't good. He stayed silent and didn't say another word until Dana held Fox back.

"Fox...what's wrong?" she noticed he wasn't walking towards their house. "Where are you going?"

"My dad's."

"What! FOX! You can't!"

"I'm gonna have to face him sometime! Dana...it might as well be now, I promise I'll be home for dinner."

"Fine." she sighed. She didn't like the thought of him going back to that hell hole.

He nodded and began to walk towards Hemlock Street.

Nov. 2

Next Morning

"Fox should have been home last night!" cried Dana. "I'm going over there to check on him!" she rushed for the door.

She and her siblings where home alone. After he hadn't come home last night for dinner, they all worried what happened to him before would happen again, or maybe worse. Their parents said that although they were worried, he was not their child. There wasn't much they could really do yet.

Dana was almost done putting on her coat when the phone rang.

"Hello?" asked Dana

"D-D-Dana...?" asked a raspy voice.

"Fox!"

"...help..."

End of Part 1/5

CHILLING, ISN'T IT?

PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Disaster Strikes

Part 2/5

of Childhood Dreams.

November 1

7:36 PM

Fox arrived home, still slightly damp. He opened the door and looked into the kitchen where his parents usually were. Teena was sitting at the table alone drinking coffee, ignoring the world around her._ 'Maybe dad's not home!' _he thought for a fleeting moment. Maybe today he would be spared. But then something caught his eye. He looked at the corner of the kitchen near the stove... and there was his father. He too was sitting in a chair but his expression was by far more deadly than his mother's.

"Fox." he growled 

"D-dad...I know your mad but-"

"Mad! Oh-ho-ho! I'm WAY beyond mad! " he said angrily standing up out of the seat, approaching Fox at a hauntingly slow pace.

"Just let me explain-"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF YOUR EXCUSES!" spat Mr. Mulder, punching his son in the stomach. The force of the punch sent him flying backwards into the closed kitchen door. He was on a adrenaline rush from all the booze he had drank, and Fox knew that he was in for a bruising. Mr. Mulder picked his son off the floor and sent another punch breaking his nose. Fox yelped in pain but knew to shut up. Crying only meant another punch in the face.

He got right in Fox's face, the sent of alcohol fresh and pungent, and growled "Go to your room and don't come out until I say so. Get packed, we're going out." He let go of Fox and went to the fridge for another beer. Fox sat there on the floor slumped against the door, nose bleeding and stomach aching. He looked up at his mom who was staring intently into her coffee, having no reaction at all to the scene that just happened.

"GO!" screamed his father, smashing an empty beer bottle against the counter.

Fox got out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs, tears fighting to get out. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop them from falling.

Once he was safe in his room, he sat on his bed to think for a minute. _'Pack my bags? Where the hell are we going? Is he going to get rid of me the same way he got rid of Sam? Oh no! I don't want to be taken! Not now! I want to be with Dana and her family! Oh how I wish I could be there. I never have to worry when I'm there. She makes me feel safe, loved, wanted. Maybe I should call...'_

But there was no time to think now. He knew not to push his father when he's mad. Calling the Scullys now would be the end of him for sure. Fox got up and got his little suitcase out from under his bed. He packed for about two days worth, but who knows if he even really needed it. He didn't know how long they would be gone, but he wanted to be prepared. Blood started to drip onto his hands and arms as he finished packing and remembered his bloody nose. He was so numb to the pain he completely forgot it was bleeding. As he plugged a tissue into his broken nostrils, he fell back onto the bed. He was exhausted from the entire day without even realizing it. In fact, the last time he slept was the day before Halloween. Another thing he was numb to- sleep. If he didn't watch out he'd become numb to life. As he pondered what else he was numb to, he slowly drifted off.

Fox was in the pool with the Scully children. Dana looked so beautiful in her emerald green suit, and her smile lit up the room. He was as happy as anyone could ever be! Then it grew dark, and a foreboding feeling came over the entire room. Fox looked up and everyone was gone. He wasn't in the pool anymore, he was in the middle of an ocean, all alone. Then he saw his father's face, screaming at him. Fox covered his head in fear of getting another beating. He heard something being pounded on, but he couldn't tell what. If it wasn't his head being knocked on, what was it?

November 2

2:27 AM

Fox was awoken by the pounding on his door, he looked at the clock, 2 in the morning. _'So that was what the pounding was.'_ he thought. He had slept for 7 hours. Unusual for him, but then again, what the hell was USUAL for him anymore? He grabbed his bag and answered the door. His father had a bottle of vodka in his hand and said through a drunken slur, "Get in the car."

Fox followed his dad to the car. It was one of the darkest nights he had ever experienced. He couldn't believe only a few hours before he went swimming with Dana and her family. Just thinking about her made he feel a little bit better. As he and his father made their way out the door, they walked past the kitchen. Fox looked inside to see if his mom was in there. As usual, she was sitting there with a cup of coffee, not taking her eyes off of it as the stem expelled. Fox desperatly wanted to yell out to her, say something to her to make her stop him. But the opportunity passed when his father grabbed him by the arm and growled in his face.

"Come on!" he yelled, throwing Fox out of the door. Good thing the neighbors were asleep or they would have thought the Mulders really were crazy. None of the neighbors really knew about anything that happened in the Mulder house, they only knew the rumors. His father threw the bags into the back of the car and threw Fox into the front seat.

"I guess I call shotgun." he said, mostly to himself.

"Shut up boy." said his father, slamming the door and staggering to the driver side.

Hours had passed, and they were still driving along the back roads. Fox had lost count of how many hours had passed but the only thing he did know was that they were driving past farms and fields that he didn't recognize. His dad wouldn't let him sleep but it didn't really matter at this point, he was to afraid to fall asleep. His eyes just concentrated on the road his father kept swerving on and noticed a sign saying the toll booth from Rhode Island to Connecticut was only 1 mile away. 'Wow,' he thought, 'how the hell long _have_ we been traveling?' But at that speed, anything was possible.

Then his father's drunken haze got the better of him and he fell unconscious at the wheel. The car went spinning out of control! Fox grabbed for the wheel and tried to wake his father at the same time, although he knew the alcohol had a stronger affect than his yelling. Then he looked through the windshield and felt that sickening felling again, like the one he felt in his dream. He saw a bridge coming up ahead of them with a sign next to it warning them that the bridge was too weak to cross. Fox desperately tried to swerve off the road but there was nothing he could do. They went spinning into the side ramp, the wood holding the guardrails up collapsing when the car ran straight into it. They crashed off the side of the bridge and slowly fell head first into the cold, deep water.

The front windshield cracked on impact and Fox knew from all the TV he watched that he had to get them out of there fast before the car filled with water. Fox unbuckled himself and then his father and knew that the only chance of survival was by breaking the glass of the windshield all the way through. Using his foot, he stomped and stomped on the glass until his foot finally went through, creating a hole big enough for them both to climb out of. He pulled himself out first, slicing up his hands. He yelped in pain but knew that their lives were in danger, so he ignored the pain for now. At that moment the car went completely underwater. Fox held his breath and knew that the they had no time to waste now, the clock was ticking. He had to get his father out! No matter how much he had beat him, he _had_ to save him. After all, the man was still his father through and through. Fox grabbed his father by the shoulders trying to drag him out. Time was running out and they still hadn't reached the bottom of the river. Fox's entire body ached and his mind began to black out from the lack of oxygen. He had managed to get his father out of the car and was trying to drag them up to the surface. Using one hand to steady his hold on his father and one used to swim up, he tried to continue on. They were almost there, Fox could almost breathe the air! But before he could break through the surface and take that first breath, he entered into a black oblivion.

Some time later, Fox awoke on the shore.

"Where am I?" he asked the world around him. He wanted to get up but he couldn't move. He felt something cold around his legs and looked down. He was still halfway in the water, his torso on the rocky bank, his legs floating in the current. Then it all came back to him... everything. His father taking him out in the middle of the night for a drive, him blacking out at the wheel, the bridge, everything. Slowly Fox had enough strength to balance himself on one shoulder and looked out on to the river. The tail end of the car was sticking out, bobbing up and down like a buoy in the middle of an ocean. Wood from the railing of the bridge was everywhere, the suitcases and clothing were spread out all over, and trash littered everywhere else. Where could his father be? Had he survived and left him there to rot? Then he saw him a few yards away floating face down in the water. He was dead. Fox collapsed back on to his back and started to cry. After all he had done to try and save the man... completely worthless. He wanted nothing more then to leave this place forever and never come back. He tried to stand up, but his legs wouldn't obey.

"This is so unfair! I'm only 17 damnit!" he screamed to the night sky. He violently began to cough and sputter, water emptying out of his lungs. He regretted screaming like that and his lungs felt as if they would collapse any second. The pain made it hard to think. He probably had a concussion and his whole right leg was broken...great. '_Wait...the phone!_' he thought. He dug through his pocket. '_Please work...' _ he opened it and it made the music it always did when you turn it on. Oh the sweet sound of the phone! But he couldn't think of any number...not even 911...only one number rang through his head.

"Hello?" came her sweet voice.

"Dana..." he coughed out.

"Fox!"

"...help..."

"Fox? What? Help? We're coming over!"

In the background he heard, "Why does he need help?"

"What happened?"

"Is he ok?"

"Was it his dad?"

"No...not...at...house..." he rasped out. The blood in his mouth made him sick.

"Your not at the house? Then where are you?"

"Car... 's cold..." he whispered. "Can't...move..."

He heard a click then heard Missy's voice. "Fox? What happened?"

"Car...water..."

"Water?..." Charlie looked out the window, "Damn, it's starting to snow! He'll suffer hypothermia if we don't get him!" He had just studied about it in Science class and was glad he paid attention that day instead of drawing on the back of Megan Jones' T-shirt.

"Fox where are you?" asked Bill, concern spilling out of every word.

"...water..." he said "...'s cold..." his voice quivering in pain, fear, and remorse.

"Are you hurt?" asked Dana

No response

"Fox!"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you hurt?"

"mmm-hmmm..."

"Are you bleeding?"

"mmm-hmmm."

"Where's your father?"

"...dead..."

"WHAT!"

"Fell...asleep...car...crashed...bridge..." he managed to rasp, before he fell into unconsciousness.

"Fox...Fox! Damn..." shrilled Missy.

"What do we do now?" asked Bill, trying to think of a plan to save his friend.

"Charlie, you and Bill check all the bodies of water near a road on the west side. Missy, you and me are going south." Dana ordered. She was so pissed at Mr. Mulder that she was damn well going to see Fox alive no matter what she had to do.

They nodded in unison. Bill and Charlie got in their car and Dana and Missy ran towards theirs.

End of part 2/5


	3. Discovery

Part 3/5 of Childhood Dreams 

Fox awoke to the sound of his cell phone. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. He slowly answered it.

"Dana? Is that you?" asked Fox, but it came out as "Dane...'sat...chu?" His throat was still killing him and his lungs felt like they were in a bear trap.

"Yes, Fox it's me...Fox can you move?"

He lied. Her voice was the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Mmm-mmm."

"Can you tell me where you are?"

"Mmm...bridge...shore..." he whispered.

"Bridge...shore...Missy, where is there a bridge along a shore?"

"Um...there's the small river front near the town border...wait is he even in the same state?"

"Fox? Are you in Rhode Island?"

"...dunno..."

"Well, do you know where you're near?"

"Border..."

"Border? Which border?"

But just as Fox was about to answer, the phone began to beep and the same music from before began to play. He looked at the screen and saw the battery sign flashing and then nothing, the line went dead. Oh how he loathed that music now.

"Fox? Fox? Damn!" Dana rushed and dialed Charlie's cell phone. "Charlie? Yea, Fox is somewhere near a boarder..."

"Which one? We'll have to check all of them. Did he tell you which one?"

"No, his cell phone died before he could answer!"

"Crap...ok...um, we'll check near the Massachusetts border close by. They couldn't have gotten on the other side if his dad was driving. They would have stopped him because I can smell the booze on him from our house." Just then in the background Dana heard a car horn. "Stupid over here forgot his license and is driving like an old man. By the end of the day you might have to make a stop at the county jail and bail us out for 'reckless endangerment'or for 'driving like Grandma Hessie.' "

"Hey shut up or those little things you call your balls will be halfway down your throat!"

"Oh! Big tough guy! Why not try driving over 40 grandpa! Maybe find Fox before, ya know, he dies or something!"

"OK! THAT'S IT! OUT OF THE CAR!"

"GUYS! STOP IT!" screamed Dana loud enough so they would both hear her. "I know you're upset about Fox but we can't fall apart now! He said he was near a bridge...so check all the bridges. And be nice to each other!"

"On it. But next time _I_ get to drive with Missy. She at least _speeds_." he answered. Dana groaned and hung up. This was no time to be arguing over cars, they needed to search for Fox before they could go back to being annoying again.

1: 47 PM

They had traveled all morning and lost track of time. Missy and Dana had passed many bridges and streams, hoping that Fox would be there. No luck. It almost seemed as if he had vanished into thin air. Bill and Charlie kept checking up with them, but it was as if he would never be found. Fox had called at 9 that morning, almost 5 hours ago. Dana's only thoughts were about Fox and if he was all right.

'_Please, God! If you can hear me, please keep Fox safe and let us find him before it's too late!'_ She was in the middle of her prayer when her cell phone began to ring.

"Fox!"

"DANA!" asked an enraged Maggie Scully.

"Mom?"

"Yes! Where in God's name are you four!" Maggie had never thought her children would go anywhere that long with out telling her first. But after she hadn't heard from them all morning, she began to wonder if it was Bill and Charlie pulling a prank again.

"Mom, we're trying to find Fox, he's lost and injured. Please Mom, we're fine, but he's not...he needs our help! We've been looking all morning but we haven't found him yet."

"Well, have you called the paramedics to help you? They would find him faster and be able to take him to a hospital."

"We were thinking about it but then remembered the story he had told us about the teacher and social services. His father still has some friends in high places and he would probably never be seen again if someone _else_ found him first. I just want him to be safe mom! I'm so worried!" Dana said though tears. She hadn't realized how upset she was until she heard her mom's voice.

There was a pause on the other end. Maggie knew there was nothing she could do to change Dana's mind. "When you find him call me, and I'll come with help." This was the only response she could give her daughter.

"Thanks mom. Oh and could you find Bill's driver license? He forgot it."

"I was wondering why his wallet was sitting on the table. I thought the boys were playing another joke so I didn't think much about it. He's probably having a hell of a time driving."

"Yeah I know, I wish it was just a joke. I have to go. Love ya mom, bye." she replied and then clicked the phone off.

"Dana look!" screamed Missy pointing to the broken fence of the bridge. They stopped the car right before the bridge and jumped out. The two girls looked over the railing to see Fox's motionless body half way in the water. Around him they saw the tail end of the car floating up and down underneath the water, lots of different car parts scattered everywhere, and then a motionless body stuck on a rock nearby. But the girls only saw Fox and what a mess he was in.

"MISSY! IT'S HIM!" she threw the phone at her sister. "Call mom!" she ran down the side of the bridge to reach the mangled boy.

"Fox! Fox..." she slowed herself down until she was next to him on her knees.

"D-d-d-a-na-na...?" he was frozen. His lips were blue, his teeth were chattering, and he was shaking like a leaf. She pulled off her coat and wrapped it around him, but first she got a look at his injuries. There was blood everywhere and his hands were cut up like pieces of meat. Missy ran to her side.

"His right leg is broken, and he looks like he has a concussion...and like Charlie said...he's suffering from hypothermia. Give me your coat." Dana wrapped the jackets around him. She had studied medical books at home and knew what would happen if he didn't get warm soon.

Dana carefully lifted him on to her lap, she stroked his face to keep him warm. She heard her brothers pull up five minutes later. She guessed that Missy had called them after she called mom, but she never noticed. She made no move to greet them and continued to stroke Fox's face as she tried to help him warm up.

"Kn-n-n-new you'd c-come..." he whispered.

"Of course I would come Fox...I promise nothing bad will ever happen to you again. We'll keep you safe."

"I...j-j-just...catchin' up... on sleep." he smirked. Even in a situation like this he was able to make a joke. Dana laughed a little even though there was no time for jokes. He was really sick and needed those paramedics... now.

"WHOA, DUDE! IS THAT YOUR DAD?" Bill pointed to the body caught on the rock. Everyone looked over to see where he was pointing to and Missy gave out a scream.

"OH MY GOD! HE'S DEAD!" she shouted. Bill and Charlie ran as close to the edge as they could. The body was on the other side of the river and you couldn't see his face. He looked as if he was asleep on the rock, but everyone else knew better. There were bloodstains all over but by now the current had washed most of it away.

"Dude, that is so sick! I think I'm gonna hurl!" Charlie said as he rushed off to the nearest bush to... relieve himself.

Just then they heard their mother, along with the paramedics, pull up on the safe side of the bridge. Dana refused to leave Fox until the paramedics had to pry her off of his side.

"His right leg is broken, and he has a concussion. He's suffering hypothermia...he's frozen, you need to raise his temperature." she told them. They smiled at the fact a 15 year old was telling them this. It was supposed to be their job. As they closed the doors to the ambulance, the entire Scully family hurried to their cars to follow.

Dana and Missy drove together, followed by Maggie, then Bill and Charlie. Dana could not get the image of him lying there out of her mind. '_What kind of father would do that to their son? It was **sick** and **wrong**.'_

After finally arriving to the hospital, the Scully family sat in the waiting room until they were called. They were all too tired and worried to make small talk but Dana was glad her family was there to support Fox in his time of need. But there were just a few questions that kept running through her mind. '_Where the hell was his mother? Why didn't she try to stop Mr. Mulder from taking him out in the middle of the night? Did she care at all?_ _Probably not, that bitch.'_

These where Maggie's exact same thoughts, but with more profanity. When it came to mothers like Teena, Maggie could use words so profane and so vulgar you wouldn't think it was the same woman!

When the nurse finally came in to say they could see him, Maggie spoke up.

"Why don't you go in to see him first, Dana." She looked at her mother and gave her hand a squeeze. She did want some time alone with him before the rest came in to crack jokes and whatnot. She got up from her chair and went for his room, hoping that her knees wouldn't collapse under her weight.

When she entered the room, she noticed that he was asleep. As quietly as possible, she slid into the chair next to his bed and gently held his hand. In a way, she wished they could be like this forever. He'd never have to worry about being hurt ever again, he'd always be happy and never afraid of what voice was behind the phone. Just holding his hand for as long as they could without interruption from the cruel world they lived in. For the time being, he was at peace. As she examined his sleeping face, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear, his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey sleepy head." she greeted.

"Hey Dana..." said a very tired, very confused Fox. "Where are we?"

"You're ok now, everything is going to be just fine." She said assuringly.

They stared into each other's eyes; he could stay like this forever. "Thank you."

Nov. 9 - One Week later

9:53 AM

Fox was amazed he was alive after the week he had. All the fuss that was made over him, all of the examinations he took day after day, the special treatment the nurses gave him (after Maggie had a word with them), and most of all, the abuse his ribs were taking from laughing so hard at the stories Missy and the boys told him. Apparently, those girls Marsi and Maria were at it again. Missy told them all a colorful story about how Maria and Marsi broke up in the gym locker room after school on Thursday. Anna had been in there at the same time and heard the WHOLE thing. Ends up that Marsi actually had another friend named Diana she was…with. Actually he didn't mind Dana being there everyday, it was what he always looked forward too. If anything he wished they could both be bolted to the chairs and just stay there forever. His mother had only called once, but never visited. She said it was because she didn't like hospitals, but everyone knew that she just didn't care. Maggie was more then just a little pissed off when she heard that Teena wasn't even going to visit her only son when he was so beat up like this. But Fox didn't care if she came or not, it wasn't like she'd always been there for him anyway. What bothered him the most were the bandages. Fox had a cast from his mid-thigh to his toes on his right leg preventing him from walking very far (unless he used his crutches), medical wrap around his head where he had a deep cut, and finally bandages all around his hands. They actually hurt the most of all. When they were first cut, he didn't have anything to cover them with so his hands were partly infected. And they were the reason he wasn't using the crutches as much as he wanted to. When he wrapped his hands around the handles, they burned. He decided to just let them heal all the way before he tried to use the crutches.

As for his father's body, the paramedics took it to the morgue where Mrs. Mulder confirmed it was him the next day. The funeral took place two days later where a few people the Mulders knew came over to pay their respects. Even Mr. and Mrs. Scully went to be nice, but the children refused to go and ended up staying in the hospital room with Fox. It's not that Fox really did or didn't want to go, he just couldn't. The hassle to get him all the way back out of the hospital to the funeral home just wasn't worth it. Also, the hospital's psychologist explained that it was better off he didn't go anyway. It would bring back too many memories and he wasn't really stable enough to handle them yet. It was better off that he spent his days in his room surrounded by loving friends and family.

But today was more then just any other day. Fox had just woken up from a deep slumber when he looked up and saw the entire Scully family standing around his bed. Although they were there almost every day, everyone there, including William, seemed to have a twinkle in their eye.

"Whoa, I didn't know it was a party." Fox said to them. Missy, Charlie, and Bill chuckled a little bit, but Dana didn't seem to really notice. She just kept smiling in the trance she had been in since he woke up. He was a little bit confused at the entire scene but waited for some one to explain their behavior. Maggie spoke up first.

"Fox, there is something we want to tell you. See, after you mother refused to visit you after all that happened, I just couldn't see you going back home to her. I just couldn't! Mr. Scully agreed with me and the children never want to see you with her ever again. So there was only one thing we could do. We hired a lawyer and spoke with social services and..."

'WE'RE GOING TO ADOPT YOU!" Dana shouted out. She just couldn't hold it in anymore, she was too excited.

"DANA!" yelled her siblings, but they couldn't help it either. They all started to giggle and laugh from trying to keep the secret in for the past few days. It was hard enough seeing that they were the gossip kings and queens.

Fox couldn't believe what he just heard. Could it be true? Could his prayers finally be answered? The expression on his face was priceless. It went from confusion, to hope, to the happiest-person-that-ever-walk-the-earth. The Scully children watched his face and couldn't help but be excited. After Fox was laughing for the sake of his pure euphoria all the children ran up and hugged him. They were laughing and yelling and loving every minute of it. Maggie and William didn't even mind. They were hugging each other and admiring all their children and Fox, their soon to be adopted son.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" asked Fox. It seemed too good to be true.

"YES!" said Charlie and Bill giving him a small punch in the head. Nothing to hard though.

"We love you!" said Dana. There had never been a truer statement. She did love him, more then the rest. And even though they all loved him, Dana was at the top. Fox looked at her and then at them all. Tears were running down his face so William and Maggie joined the pile and they all hugged Fox tightly. This was the happiest moment of his life. Well, so far.

End Part 3/5 


	4. The Trial

Part 4/5

Of Childhood Dreams

* * *

Nov. 11 

"Well, today's the day. Don't screw up man." Fox told himself. The lawyer had spoken to him the day before about what to say and what not to say, but Fox pretty much had it down. He was just scared that the judge wouldn't agree with the Scullys and he would end up being like his father, stuck in that empty house all alone with only Teena. Dana had told him it was ridiculous and it would never happen. They had a long talk the night before about the trial.

Bill, Charlie, Missy, and Dana had stayed with him that night because he was starting to fret that it would never work. They all watched TV and played Black Jack but Fox was still in a slump. The other three went off a little bit later in search of a vending machine while Dana stayed behind to talk to him.

"Dana, what if it doesn't work? What if I am just not meant to be happy with you guys? What if I am just always going to be stuck with Teena! FOREVER!"

"Fox! Calm down! How could they ever think that you should be with that bitch? We love you like a brother already. You are going to be with _us_!"

"But just WHAT IF it doesn't work? What would we do? What would I do? I can't go back, I JUST CAN'T! I'd DIE first before going back there!"

"Well then I wouldn't stop fighting! I wouldn't stop until you were safe with us! Do you think that after everything we've done we'd just give up? Never!"

Fox thought about it as he and Dana sat there, just enjoying each other's company. Fox knew that the Scully family would never stop fighting, but he just couldn't trust Teena or the lawyers. He didn't trust anyone anymore, except for Dana and her family.

"Besides, you're always welcome to stay on our couch no matter what." Dana piped in. Fox chuckled and Dana smiled, relieved that Fox still had his sense of humor. The rest followed in with bags of junk from the vending machines.

"Holy crap man! We're gonna burn our tongues off with all these Flaming Hot Cheetos! Those things are intense!" Charlie said with three bags of it in hand.

"Bet I can eat more than you can!" Bill challenged.

"You're on!" And with that the rest of the evening was spent burning their tongues off and rushing to the water fountain to relieve themselves.

But now today would be the day. What they talked about last night would be put to the test. Fox was nervous, no doubt about it, but he wasn't as scared as he could have been. Dana had really calmed him down, but the hugs each member of the family had given him before they had to leave his hospital room was the cherry on top. Well, except for Bill and Charlie who both gave him a slap on the head and back for good luck. He had never felt so loved. The lawyer came in and explained, once again, the way he had to answer the questions and that he had to make Teena look like the bad guy. Well, that shouldn't be too hard. Then the lawyer put him in a wheelchair and they rolled down the hall. He didn't have the wrap around his head; all he had now was a scar, and a big one at that. The cuts on his hands weren't infected anymore but they were still a little sore and his leg would still take a while to heal. Although he had felt better before, he was thankful he was still alive. As he passed the nurses in the hall, they all gave him the thumbs up. He had to smile, they were a bunch of nice gals. Plus he could use all the luck he could get.

Once they arrived, Fox insisted on using the crutches. He didn't want to look like a complete wimp but enough to show he had been badly hurt. The lawyer obliged and Fox wished it were all over. He just wanted to sign a bloody piece of paper, go home with the Scully's, and never see Teena or his old house ever again.

Inside the courtroom, he looked up at the judge and instantly felt relieved. The guy looked sympathetic towards Fox and wouldn't take any crap from Teena and especially her lawyer. Fox slowly cruched up to his seat where William and Maggie were sitting with the lawyer. As Fox staggered in he noticed, before being led to the other side of the gate, that all the Scully children were sitting in the front row of seats right behind their parents. It was as close as they could get without actually sitting with their parents. They all smiled warmly at Fox and Dana blew him a sweet kiss. He had never seen Charlie and Bill look so spiffy before it was almost comical. But no, now it was time to get to business.

He looked over to where his mother was sitting and noticed how awful she looked. He hadn't seen her since…that morning so many weeks ago when she was staring into her coffee cup. It felt like it was millions of years ago. It felt weird seeing her like this. Part of him felt bad for her but then she looked at him coldly and he had to look away. It was too hard to see his own mother like this. As he sat down at his seat next to Maggie, she gave his hand a supportive squeeze and a wink. How could he ever have second thoughts about this? He wanted to live with the Scully's, no doubt in his mind.

He had been lost in thought when Teena's lawyer called him up to the stand. Great, show time. Slowly he got up and had one last glance at the Scully's, who all gave him a smile. 'Here goes nothing' he thought. As he slowly got up and hobbled toward the stand, Fox noticed that the jury was either sympathizing with him or giving dirty looks towards Teena. Every one watched him as he struggled to get up there. He wasn't doing it on purpose, it was just hard with a broken leg.

When he finally made it up there a man asked, "Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do."

This was it, the final showdown. Teena's lawyer slowly got up from her seat and looked at Fox. She was taking her time and making Fox feel anxious as she made her final struts to the stand. Then the questions began.

"Now state your name for the court."

"Fox William Mulder."

"Fox, in your own words, could you please tell us what happened the night of November 2nd?"

Fox slowly took a deep breath and told the story that had been burned into his mind since the day it happened. "I had just gone swimming with Dana, Melissa, William Jr., and Charles Scully when I received a call from my mother saying that my father wanted me home. I had been recently staying on the Scully's couch because I was afraid of my parents…well father…but when I got the call I knew it was time to just face them. I never thought how mad he could get…" Fox stopped for a moment as a tear ran down his cheek

"Please go on." said the judge sympathetically.

Fox nodded and looked at the Scully's who were all giving him smiles, the girls had tears in their eyes and the boys had fire in theirs. "I knew it was bad but I couldn't tell the Scully's how bad. They knew that my father had hit me sometimes, but I never thought he'd ever do something like this. I walked home and went inside. My mother and father were sitting in the kitchen. I could tell he was drinking because his eyes were blood shot, he smelled like liquor, and he looked horrible. He asked me where I had been and I answered that I had been swimming. He said he meant for the last week, I told him I had been staying at the Scully's. He said he didn't want to hear any of my excuses," Fox took a deep breath as another tear rolled down his cheek, "…and then he was 'way beyond mad'."

Fox stopped and looked down at his hands. He felt so tired already, but he swallowed and continued the story. "Then he threw me against the door and punched me in the nose. He told me to go upstairs and pack my things and not to leave my room until he told me to. I packed some things and went to sleep but at two thirty in the morning he pounded on my door and threw me and my stuff into the car. He wouldn't let me sleep or anything because he wanted to punish me. But he was swerving all over the place at high rates of speed. I noticed hours later that we were close to the Rhode Island-Connecticut border." He had to stop. How could they possibly understand what it was like? Tears were now flowing down his face even though he didn't want them there. He looked at the Scully's who were all teary eyed themselves still, except for the boys who looked more like they were ready to punch something.

"Please, continue." said the Judge once more. He looked nice and like he wouldn't chew his head off with questions. Fox continued.

"My father at this time had been driving for hours and was completely drunk. He blacked out at the wheel right before a wooden bridge. I tried to grab the wheel to steer us to safety but it was too late. We flew off the side of the bridge and into the frozen cold water. The impact had cracked the windshield and the car was slowly filling up with water. I felt my head hit the window and knew my leg was crushed. But I didn't think about that and pushed on. I knew I had to get us out of there before the car went underwater and would be almost impossible to escape, so I punched the a hole in the windshield big enough to climb through. That's how I cut my hands up. I pulled myself out and reached for my father. We were underwater now and I tried to swim us up to the top for air. But before I could get there I blacked out. The next thing I remember was waking up on the shore and not being able to move my legs. I saw my father floating in the water...not moving...at all..." he wiped away his tears. He did love his father even if he hated him. Fox took a quick sniff and said "...and I knew he must have been dead. I was freezing and couldn't think straight. But then I reached for my cell phone and hoped that it worked. I couldn't think of any number to call, not even the police. I just dialed the first number that came to mind. I called the Scully's house and Dana picked up. I told them as much as I could and then my phone went dead. I waited for about an hour and a half before I saw Dana and Melissa Scully come and save me. They called the ambulance and then I went to the hospital." Fox was relieved that the story was over. He wasn't sure he'd make it through it but he looked and knew he pretty much won them all over.

Then the questions began again.

"Now Fox, tell me, after telling us this story, can you tell me some things your father has done in the past?"

Fox's nose and eyes where now red and suddenly the hem on his shirtsleeve was amazing. "Um, he'd punch me in the stomach or the groin...um, he would hit me because I was waking up late or something. Ever since my sister disappeared he would blame me for everything. One time I, uh, got in a fight at school because this kid named Tom was teasing me about my sister and I was sent to the principal's. They called my dad. When I got home...he snapped like a tooth pick, took my arm and cracked it on his knee. I didn't go to the doctors until the teacher made me…and uh…. more recently my dad made the 'mistake' of hitting me in the face…I accidentally smashed the tea pot on the floor because it burned my hand…I had gone to the Scully's after that. When my parents found out I was staying there he wanted to punish me."

"Now, did your mother participate in these beatings?"

"No."

"Did your mother once touch you?"

"No."

"Did she ever yell at you?"

"No."

"Did your father?"

"Yes."

"But your father is dead right?"

Fox looked down, tears began to fall down his face. No matter what, he was his father and he was going to feel guilty about it until the day he died. He wasn't that bad of a father one time in his life, before Sam disappeared.

"I said your father's _dead_ isn't he Fox?" the lawyer tried again.

"Objection! Badgering the witness!" cried the Scully lawyer

"Fox, please answer the question."

"Yes, he is."

Teena's lawyer rolled her eyes. "So since your father _is_ dead, then there's nothing to be afraid of. So, what's so bad about living with your mother? She'd never hurt you and now with your father gone life would be better."

Fox became angry. His voice became loud and distraught "She never loved me! No matter what my father ever said or did, she NEVER did ANYTHING! NOTHING! She never did anything to protect me!"

The lawyer just brushed it off and said, "But don't you think she was scared just as much as you? She was just as beat up as you were, you were both being threatened by a man who is now gone."

"But even after he was gone, she never came to visit me or even search for me. If it wasn't for the Scully family, I would probably be dead right now." The tears just kept coming no matter how hard Fox tried to stop them. He looked over at Dana and she had tears in her eyes. She just couldn't believe that Teena was so cruel to him. Never comforting him or anything that a mother should do for their child.

The lawyer thought about what to ask him next to prove her point that Teena was just as innocent as Fox. So she asked, "So regarding your story, when you dialed a number to help, why did you call the Scullys? I mean, 911 would have reached you faster. The Scully's were hours away and yet you call them before calling for help. Why?"

"I wasn't thinking clearly. I was freezing and loosing consciousness. Besides, I love the Scullys and their always running through my mind, why shouldn't their phone number?" that got a few chuckles, even from the judge.

"But why did you call the Scully's and risked dying instead of calling the police and having a better chance to live?"

Fox was mad. She would just never understand what it was like almost dying and then being saved by the people you love like family. "I don't know."

The lawyer paused and looked at him like a hawk stalking prey.

"You don't know?"

"No! I said I didn't. Besides, I trust them and would want my life in their hands. I would rather them there to save me then a bunch of strangers when I'm half conscious." he said firmly.

The lawyer raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you love your mother?"

"…No…"

That got a small gasp from Teena, and Fox looked away. He could hardly take this anymore…

"Would you make up lies about her so you wouldn't have to live with her?"

"Didn't I take an oath?" questioned Fox sarcastically.

The lawyer just glared "No further questions your honor."

She sat down next to Teena who looked like she could cut you with her stare. It was piercing. Now the Scully's lawyer stood up. Fox felt a little better now that Teena's lawyer was gone and he relaxed. This would be easier because the Scully's were on _his_ side.

"Now Fox, you say your mother never hurt you, yes?"

"Yes."

"Never touched you?"

"No…not even for a hug." He whispered the last part. Maggie glared at Teena in disgust and Teena did the same. Showdown.

"Never talked to you?"

"No…she--never even said good morning."

"But a parents job is to protect and love their child right?"

"That's what I always thought."

"Did your mother?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Did your mother ever stop your father?"

"No."

"Did she ever even tell him to stop?"

"No."

"Did she ever apologize for that?"

"No, never."

"So that's not really protecting you is it?"

Fox paused. He looked over to his mother (who was no longer looking at Maggie) who looked like she was only there to stare at him. It was becoming uncomfortable… which was exactly what she wanted. The Scully's lawyer stepped into his line of vision to with a comforting look.

"No."

The lawyer turned to the jury. She wanted to make it a point that Teena was the bad guy not the dead father.

"A parent's job is to protect their child and show them love and care, wouldn't you say so Fox?"

"Yes."

The lawyer gave one look to the jury that said 'I rest my case.' And shot Teena's table a deadly look.

"No further questions your honor."

"You may step down Fox." The judge said. Finally the hell was over and Fox could sit down and watch for a while. It took him several moments to get back to his seat and then the trial continued.

"Your honor I call to the stand, Mrs. Teena Mulder."

Slowly, Teena rose out of her seat and leisurely walked to the stand, giving Fox a stare as she walked past him.

"Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do."

"Please state your name for the court."

"Teena Elizabeth Mulder."

"Now Mrs. Mulder, your late husband, he hurt your son yes?"

"Yes."

"Now they say you didn't stop it, did you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He would have killed Fox if I asked him to stop."

"So you were protecting your son, in a backwards sort of way?"

"Yes."

"Did your husband ever threaten you?"

"Yes, but I didn't care! I only said nothing to keep Fox living."

"I would have rather been dead then live that life." Fox mumbled. Maggie gave his hand a squeeze.

"So, you were a victim of his rage as well?"

"Yes, but I wish I could have done more for Fox." Teena said with as much fake sympathy as she could muster. She looked at Fox like she really cared, but Fox could tell that behind her eyes there was no real love.

"No further questions your honor." Her lawyer finished and sat down, waiting for the counter attack.

Now it was the Scully lawyer's turn to talk, and she was ready like a predator stalking its prey. She would rip Teena to shreds no matter what she had to do. "You say you where protecting your son do you?"

"Yes."

"Letting your son be beaten by his father and then let his _drunken_ father drive him to God knows where. You really think that is protecting your son?"

"I'll admit it! I made a few mistakes! But now that's all going to change because he's GONE!"

Fox dropped his head. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Dana's smiling face, although there was pure distress in her eyes.

"But even after he was gone and your son was still in the hospital, you never visited him. That's not much of a change to me. No further questions." The lawyer turned her back just as Teena shot up.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! I LOVE MY SON!" screamed Teena

Whispers broke out and people sitting behind the gate began to talk. _Was she really going to change? Is she really a coldhearted mother? What did the Scully family have that was so much better? Would poor Fox be sent back to his mother?_

"Order! Order!" called the judge. Everyone calmed down and once again everyone was seated. "You may step down Mrs. Mulder."

She angrily stepped down and walked to her seat. She gave the Scully's a heated look. Then she looked at Fox...she looked deep into his eyes. He saw the hate she had for him and had to look down and hide his face to make it stop. This time the Scully's lawyer asked first.

"I call to the stand Ms. Dana Scully."

Dana, who had been prepared for this, rose up and walked to the other side of the gate. She gave Fox a warm smile and Fox felt the life that had been sucked out of him by Teena's stare come back to him. She came up to the stand and raised her right hand.

"Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do."

"Please state your name for the court."

"Dana Catherine Sully."

"Now your Fox's best friend, correct?"

"Yes I am."

"Now had Fox ever seemed upset at times or show any signs of abuse from his father?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Once, he arrived at our house early in the morning with bruises all over his face and a limp. He told us it was his dad but that he didn't want us to say anything because that would only mean getting another beating." As Dana told them this she felt her throat begin to clench up and tears swell up in her eyes. But she refused to fall apart now, she was here for Fox and needed to be the strong one.

"Did he ever seem sad or depressed at your house?"

She looked at Mrs. Mulder. "No. The only time he was ever sad was when he had to leave and go back home." Whatever tears she felt before melted away and now she just had stone-cold hatred in her eyes aimed directly at Teena.

"What happened when he called you that day on November 2?"

"Well, the night before he said his father wanted him home. He seemed...nervous, if you want to put it lightly. Later the next morning we received a call from Fox asking for help. We spent the entire day searching for him. We wanted to help him because he's like family to us."

"Now did Mrs. Mulder assist you in the search?"

"No."

"I see...nothing further."

Teena's lawyer popped up and asked, "Did you ever call Mrs. Mulder to inform her that her son was somewhere out there and needed help?"

"No. We assumed that she had something to do with it."

"But you never called up to make sure?"

Dana took a deep breath, "No, we never did."

"Thank you. No further questions."

Dana stepped down and walked back to her seat. The trial could go either way at the moment and just one vote could change everything.

That was when the Scully's lawyer stood up and said, "Sir, I call to the stand Captain Henry Waterson." Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. Everyone that is but Teena who looked flustered and antsy. Fox recognized the name from somewhere but couldn't place it.

From the back of the court the guards opened the large wooden doors to reveal a tall, muscular man in a captain's uniform. He walked up the aisle determinedly and was let through the gate. Everyone just stared at him, wondering what the lawyer had up her sleeve. Fox couldn't take his eyes off the guy, racking his brain to think of where he had met him before.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

Everyone stared at him, waiting to hear what he would say. There was just something about him that was… off.

"I do."

The Scully's lawyer took a file out of her pile and slowly lifted herself from her seat. She wanted to stretch out the questioning looks for as long as she could, making the tension grow until it almost burst.

"Your honor! I object! I had no knowledge of this witness or his credibility. I want to look over this myself before going to the stand!" Teena's lawyer exclaimed when the mystery of the surprise witness reached its boiling point.

"Approach the stand." said the Judge, the two lawyers walked up.

"Your honor," Scullys' lawyer said, "Captain Waterson was a last minute witness. He might not've been able to come in because of his schedule. He can prove that certain activities at the Mulder household are unsafe for a child to be living in."

Teena's lawyer opened her mouth in an exasperated 'O', making her look like a young girl who had just gotten into a fight in pre-k and was being tattled on. "How do we even know if this guy is really what he says he is?"

"I have the paper work on it right here, your honor. I can give it to you after the hearing because Captain Waterson is a very busy man and will need to return to his duties soon."

The Judge considered both the situations and answered, "Let me see his file." Scully's lawyer handed it to him and after looking through it briefly he said, "I'll allow it."

For the time that the lawyers had argued over if he was creditable or not, Captain Waterson stared straight ahead only glancing once to look at Fox, who still had a puzzled look on his face.

"Jeeze, that guy's a regular British royal-straight-faced-giant-wedgie-stuck-in-his-butt-statue, huh?" whispered Charlie to Bill, who were both making fun of Captain Waterson from behind the safety of the gate.

"Yeah, so where the hell is his fuzzy hat?" snickered Bill.

"I wonder if we went up and spit some of the pitcher water on his pretty uniform if he would move."

"Maybe if you gave him a lap dance he would shoot you in the butt with his pellet gun." The boys started to laugh, but only loud enough so the two of them could hear.

Missy hit them both on the head and shushed them to be quiet. "The lawyer is about to start the questioning!" she said in a harsh whisper. They both gave her an imaginary finger and watched as the mystery unfolded.

After both lawyers were seated, the Scully's lawyer stood up and approached Waterson. Throughout everything that happened, he was still sitting there completely quiet.

"So, Captain Waterson, could you please state for the court what exactly it your job is?"

Waterson cleared his throat and spoke slowly. "I worked for the Department of Defense as a navy officer in Section A-47 but now I maintain order of the officers in Port Maine."

"What exactly is Section A-47?"

"It is a top secret operation in very heart of the CIA. It is now dissolved and almost all information about it and around it are locked up and classified."

"So how exactly did you know Mr. Mulder?"

"We use to work together in Section A-47. We worked together in the same group and we were friends."

"So, what exactly was it about Mr. Mulder that made you feel… uneasy?"

Waterson looked down slightly, the only time he ever moved since he sat down. "Mr. Mulder had gotten deep into the program. The purpose was to create a vaccine for a contained disease within the CIA. But, someone on top didn't follow protocol and soon people were giving up family members and others so they could be 'saved' from this disease. People's children were being sent in to be tested on, "

Everyone in the room suddenly knew why he was here. Fox, the Scully's, the Judge, but most of all Teena. The only one that looked a little confused was the bailiff who had zoned out for the last 5 minutes.

"So, you're telling us that Mr. Mulder was sending in innocent children into laboratories to be tested on like lab rats?"

"Well, the parents had to consent to it. They weren't taken off the street or anything like that."

"So, why does this concern young Fox here and his mother?" She gestured towards Teena, whose face was contorted with rage.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mulder gave away their daughter, Samantha, to the program to be tested on." Everyone gasped. Fox stared at the man in shock. He knew something had happened to his sister long ago but he was never told what exactly. Hearing the truth now was like a punch in the stomach. _How could they let their only daughter be tested on like some lab rat?_

"So, what exactly happened to Samantha?" the lawyer questioned once the court was quiet.

"That's classified information."

"Well, can you tell us if she was ever seen again?"

"Not by her parents or anyone outside the program, no."

"Thank you, no further questions."

The Scully's lawyer sat down as Teena's stood up. "We have no questions your honor." Teena looked as if she was about to kill someone, but she just sat there waiting.

"Thank you Captain, you may step down now." The judge said. Captain Waterson stepped down from the box and walked straight out the door. Fox was disturbed by what he had said but now there was hope that Sam was still alive, somewhere deep within the CIA. Maybe he could talk to him and find out where she was. Maybe they could be reunited again! Fox turned around and watched Waterson walk out the door. He never looked back, never blinked, and never took his eyes off the door. Someone on the other side was waiting for him. Fox realized then that he would probably never see Waterson again.

* * *

The Jury had been debating for over 30 minutes and there still was no word yet. Fox and the rest of the Scully's were outside the courtroom on a bench waiting with him. 

"Don't worry buddy! Our lawyer lady said that we have a really good chance of winning. Man that Waterson was like a rock! He never flinched! Man I almost got scared when he first came in." Charlie exclaimed.

"Yeah, you should have seen him! He almost wet his pants!" Bill laughed. Charlie tackled him to the ground and they started to 'play' wrestle.

"Guys, will you stop being stupid for just ONE minute?" Missy asked.

"No." they both replied, continuing their play wrestling.

"Boys, stop. Now." Said Maggie, who had been speaking to the lawyer. They both stopped and sat down with the rest of the kids. They knew not to get their mom angry in public places. It never ended well.

While Missy, Bill, and Charlie talked among themselves, Dana was talking to Fox on the other side of the bench. "Dana, just think! Sam could be out there somewhere, she could still be alive! All this time I thought she was gone, but she really is somewhere out there. If I could just talk to someone, maybe I could find her!"

"Maybe, but I think there's something deeper going on here than what they told us. I mean, this is all inside the secret CIA stuff and, honestly, I don't think they would have kept Sam alive after what she had seen. And Waterson said that the project had stopped years ago so if she was alive they would have sent her back or…" Dana drifted off. She didn't want to tell Fox straight out what she felt about Sam's disappearance but she wanted to warn Fox. Who knows what might happen to him if he started going into the CIA.

"I know Dana, but I want to see her so badly! I mean, she's the only real family I actually care about. I mean I love you guys but it's different with a real sister."

"I know, I understand. I just don't want to see you get hurt again. We almost lost you once, I don't want to loose you again." She hugged Fox and he hugged her back. Dana couldn't bear to loose him again. She loved him. She wanted to take care of him when he was sad and laugh with him when he was happy. Loosing him would be like loosing a part of herself.

"Awww, GROUP HUG!" yelled Charlie as he wrapped his arms around both their necks. Bill and Missy joined in and soon they were all laughing and hugging like one big happy family.

"Now let's all go home and make brownies and talk about how much we hate men!" Bill added in a girly voice. That got a laugh even out of Fox.

Maggie looked over and saw what they were doing. "We have to win this or else I might have to take drastic measures." she said to her husband.

Just then a man in a collared shirt came out of the courthouse. "The jury has decided."

Fox sat in his seat waiting for the judge to come out. He was buzzing with anticipation and energy. He felt like he was going to throw up and yet he knew if he tried nothing would happen. Everything in his body felt like it had been disconnected from him and nothing would respond.

Then the judge came out of the room and everyone sat up from where they had been slumped in their seats. There was energy in the room that could only be described as a humming. Everyone sat in silence.

"Jury, have you reached you decision?"

This was it, all they had been waiting for, all they had prepared for, now it was coming to an end. Fox looked at Maggie and William, who both gave him a quick smile and wink. He could tell though that they were as anxious as he was. The man from the jury stood up and cleared his throat.

"We find Mrs. Teena Mulder incapable of caring for Fox Mulder. We grant guardianship of Fox Mulder to Captain and Mrs. Scully."

Just like that, all the Scully's stood up and hugged Fox tighter than ever before. Charlie, Bill, Missy, and Dana ran up from behind the gate and gave a hug and high five to him and each other. Dana ran up behind Fox and hugged him tightest of all. Bill and Charlie started to dance in the middle of the aisle.

Fox looked over to where Teena was sitting and saw that she didn't look as angry as she did before. In fact, you almost looked like she was laughing, a devilish laugh. Fox felt that feeling he got when he was with his father in the car again.

Maggie gave Teena a dirty look as she was being escorted out of the court room and stood in front of Fox's eye line so he couldn't see her anymore. "Don't worry about her dear. She can't do anything anymore."

Fox felt a little bit calmer after her words, but there was still something that made him feel… uneasy.

Maggie turned to their lawyer. "Thank you so much Ms. Novak. We couldn't have done it without you."

"The pleasure was all mine." She replied as she headed out of the courtroom to her next case.

"Well, who wants to go out to BJ's for dinner?" William asked, although he knew what the answer would be.

"Oh! I wanna get the Fried Basket Combo!" yelled Charlie.

"Eww! That is the most DISGUSTING thing I have ever heard!" said Missy. Charlie and Bill came up behind her and picked her up off her feet and carried her out of the courtroom. She was screaming slightly for them to put her down between her laughs. Maggie and William shook their heads and grinned as they followed the group out the door.

Dana and Fox watched as the family walked out the doors. "Well, welcome to the family Fox. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to live with a bunch of wolves right now."

"What's the difference?" Fox questioned with a smile. He put his arm around her shoulders and they walked out of the two giant oak doors behind their insane family. Together.

End of part 4/5

* * *

**A/N- Sorry this took SOOO long guys but we finally finished it. Besides, it's long so that has to count for SOMETHING. REVIEW!**


	5. THE END!

OK! NOT NEARLY AS GOOD AS THE OTHERS…but since me and lumpkins kinda got OUTA the xfiles mode…I'll just post this. Sorry its so crappy! Please review anyway!

Part 5/5 of

Childhood Dreams

December 24

"I'm not sure I should be here..." said Fox. Dana put her hands on his shoulders.

"Fox your part of the family, of course you need to come! We all want you there!"

"It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Just...I don't...deserve a family like you..."

"You're right, you deserve more. Fox, please...for me?"

"...ok, Dana. For you." She squeezed his hand, and the two walked inside.

The Scully's always had a tradition of going to their grandparent's house for the holidays. Maggie's parents always loved when their grandkids came for a visit. They always looked forward to them running around, playing games, and eating warm home cooked meals. Bill and Charlie always loved cracking jokes on their grandma, who's mind was going a little bit. They had rushed in ahead of the rest of the family so they could get to their grandma's cookies.

"Hey wait you guys! I want at least ONE cookie this year!" Missy yelled as the boys rushed in past their mother and father.

"Hey boys, slow down before someone gets hurt." William said as the pile of presents he was carrying threatened it fall.

Fox rested all his weight on his crutches, he looked at the car of the grandparents. Dana walked over and draped her arms over his shoulders and looked at the car with him.

"Come on Fox. Our grandparents are waiting."

"But...what if they don't like me? I don't really belong-"

"Fox. Look at me." they looked into each other's eyes. "We all love you. We all want you here. Stop thinking otherwise." he smiled at her. "Come on."

Fox slowly followed _all _the Scully's into the house. They where all saying their happy hellos, Fox tried to hide...

It didn't work.

"Now this is…Fred right?" asked Maria, Maggie's mother.

Bill and Charlie snorted and turned so they wouldn't see them laughing.

"That's Fox, mother."

"That's what I said dear. Now, Frank! Come and give your grandma a hug!" she pulled him into a hug.

Fox felt...awkward.

Charlie couldn't hold it and laughed loudly, he quickly covered his mouth and ran from the room, with Bill on his heals. You could hear them laughing in the next room.

Fox tried not to laugh himself; he just smiled and hugged her back with one arm so he wouldn't drop his crutches. Once he pulled back Dana whispered

"She can't hear to well, and she has acute alzheimers."

"Oh…"

The 3 children left in the room followed Bill and Charlie's path into the kitchen and began to laugh.

"So _Fred_ what do you think of grandma?" asked Bill

"Yea, isn't she great, _Frank_?" Charlie added, the two began to laugh hysterically.

Maggie walked in. "Boys, stop laughing at my mother. It's dinner time."

They all walked into the dining room, all still with laughing smiles on their faces. Soon after a big dinner they where all off to bed, Missy had her own room. Bill and Charlie shared a room as did Fox and Dana, the grand parents used the guest room.

Fox dreamt...to his despair.

Fox looked over the stair railing. He smelled smoke. **He **was back. That Spender man. How Fox hated him. His parents where screaming as they always did. The words 'Cheated' 'Kill' and 'Samantha' stuck out. Fox...just wanted it to end.   
His dream shifted.   
Fox opened his eyes. There was fire every where all around him. He saw his father unconscious on the floor, he saw a pile of something on fire, he covered his mouth, and walked over...no…the photos of Samantha! He quickly reached into the pile and grabbed a photo out. He yelped in pain and inhaled smoke. He fell to the floor as the pile of photo's flames grew bigger. 

His dream shifted again

"FOX!" 

_Fox spun in the darkness looking for his sister's pained cry _

"_Fox! Their hurting me! Please help me Fox!" _

"_SAM! SAM-Where are you!" _

"_Fox...please...Fox..."_

"SAM!" Fox flew up in his bed. He looked over, Dana was shifting in bed...but not waking. He quickly, but quietly walked out of the room. He went down stairs. He turned into the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of water in a paper cup. He crumbled the cup and threw it out. He sat in the darkness. The white snow out the window and the Christmas lights his only light, as got up and sat in the living room. He looked at the Christmas tree. It was beautiful.

Like Dana...

Like this Family...

Like his new life...

But something didn't feel right. Fox looked out the window and jumped. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, she was gone. He could have sworn he saw his mom's face in the window, Teena's not Maggie's. He looked back at the tree. And jumped once more when he heard Dana.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Nah, not really."

She came over and hugged him.

"I heard you wake up..."

"Oh…Sorry."

"No It's all right...wanna talk about it?"

Tears began to well up in his eyes...

"I just miss her so much..."

"Who?"

"...Sam..." he broke into sobs and Dana pulled him into a hug. She stroked his back.

January 5

Fox and all the Scully children where in the living room. The two adults came in with a cake. Fox looked confused but every one else looked overjoyed.

"What's going on?"

"The papers are signed, the flies are filed! You are now officially our son!"

A huge grin spread across his face.

"I get a cake?"

"Well you part of the family now son!"

Every one got a slice and the party moved to the dining room. Fox sat at the head of the table. Dana next to him.

He was so happy, so overjoyed. The whole family together, he was now apart of this...whoa...he felt so dizzy...he heard slurred voices as his vision blurred, and spun.

"Fox?"

"Fox what's wrong?"

"Are you ok?"

The world was beginning to go black...the last thing he remembered was the sent and taste of the cake.

Dana sat next to Fox at the table, they where celebrating his official join to the family. She looked at Fox. He was looking pale and sick.

"Fox?"

Everyone looked up to see he was looking sick. Maggie came over.

"Fox, what's wrong?"

"Are you ok?" asked Missy

Fox closed his eyes and fell face first into his cake.

"Fox!" cried out Dana. Maggie and Dana pulled Fox off his cake, and wiped his face off as they called out orders.

"Call an ambulance!" cried Maggie.

Missy had her hands over her mouth as she cried.

Charlie and Bill stared in shock.

"What the fu…" started Bill but was to shocked to finish. Charlie looked like he was on the verge of tears, he looked at Bill.

"What's happening?" whispered the youngest to the oldest.

"I don't know…"

"Come on Fox, wake up...come on..." said Dana in a soothing voice.

"Their on their way!" said William in a rushed voice.

He held Missy as he tried to calm her.

Georgetown Medical Center.

Maggie held sobbing Dana, as William did Missy. Bill and Charlie sat shoulder-to-shoulder looking at the floor.

The doctor walked into the waiting room.

"Ms...Scull-"

All the Scully's immediately stood up. He ushered them out into the hall. He began to explain why Fox collapsed.

"Fox has a brain tumor about the size of a pee. It's operational if we do it immediately... and with your consent of course."

"A tumor...?" whispered Dana

"Of...of course! Operate all you need."

All the Scully's stood in silence. Dana reached for her necklace to hold it as she always did when she was worried.

It was how she met him...and now she's praying for his life with it.

Fox was being wheeled into the operation bay.

They all looked away in sadness. Dana just looked at his face.

"I love you." She thought

2 days later

Fox awoke to find Dana at his side. He had bandages wrapped around his head. He took a deep breath and said in a raspy voice.

"Dana?"

"Fox? O thank god your awake!" She hugged him.

"Hospital again?" he asked in a distressed voice.

"You...fell unconscious at the party..."

"Why?"

"...you had a brain tumor..."

"..." He just looked at her. "And you paid for it?"

"Fox..." she said annoyed "Don't start..."

"Dana-"

"Fox your family, this would be exactly the same if it were me in that bed and not you."

"But Dana-"

"No. Fox...just rest..." she stroked his hair.

"Is it gone?"

She looked at him for a moment "Yes, it's gone...come on get some rest..." she said tucking him in. Fox smiled did as he was told and fell asleep.

June 16

And also it consisted of Fox and Bill's graduation. Fox and Bill sat in the tuxes. They looked so cute. They got their diplomas, and their sports awards. Fox was valedictorian, for he had the best grades.

Graduation day was also the 8-month anniversary of the day Fox and Dana met. It seems so much longer though.

June 20

The spring with the Scully's consisted of picnics, amusement parks and all that fun stuff. Fox was actually starting to feel like part of the family.

He bit another sunflower seed.

"Fox, why do you love those sun-flower seeds so much?" asked Dana

"My mom and dad used to take me and Sam to the sunflower fields...you got to pick your own sunflower seeds...that's the last place we went as a real family..."

"Oh...where...where did you go?"

"Smilely Sun-Flower Seed Fields..."

"Oh...um...can I have one?"

"Sure." without looking up from his basket ball encyclopedia he handed her some.

He looked up and saw his mother's face in the window. He had had this experience to many times. Fox got up and got his coat.

"Fox where are you going?" asked Dana

"For a walk." he closed the door.

He walked to his old house...his blood mother's. Teena's.

He knocked.

"Hello-Fox?"

"Hi Teena."

"Call me mom."

"But your not anymore."

He never really loved his mother and she never really loved him. He hated her more than he hated he dead father...at least he _used_ to be nice to Fox...she never really was.

"If you just came to insult me you can leave."

"Teena, you...haven't been around the house have you?"

"...no...why?" she said slightly to quickly

"I just...thought I saw you...never mind. I'd better be getting back..."

"No, come inside."

"Ok..." he walked inside and the two sat down at the oh-to-familiar kitchen table.

"So, Fox how are you doing?"

"Ok...and yourself?"

"I could be better. All I ever needed was a family Fox."

"You had one and you ruined it."

"I need one who loved me..."

He stood. "So did I, Teena, you could have gotten my love...if you had protected me...I was your son!"

"You still are-!"

"NO! I'm not, I have a family who **loves** me now. I never got that from you." He walked out and slammed the door. She threw it back open and screamed after him

"YOU'RE **_MY_** SON! YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A MULDER! YOU WILL NEVER BE A SCULLY! YOU **_ARE_** A _MULDER_!"

"I'll never be a Scully..."

As Fox walked home, he cried. About everything.

About Samantha...

About Teena...

About his dead father...

About his past...

About the conversation he just had...

About that he would never be a Scully...

And no matter how much he hated his mother...and never listened to her...he knew this time...

"She's right..."

888888888888888888888888888

Fox came home, he saw the two cars in the drive way.

"Joy..." he whispered, knowing they would want to know where he went. Tears still flowing down his cheeks he walked inside and went to the room he and Dana shared.

He began to feel sick. He laid down on his bed and covered his face with the pillow. He felt extremely nauseous. He ran to the bathroom that connected all three children's rooms. He began to throw up into the toilet seat. Before he knew it Maggie was at his side rubbing his back. She flushed the toilet and wiped off his face, and she got his a glass of water to clean out his mouth. He began to sob, and she hugged him.

"What's wrong Fox?"

He looked her in the eyes and cried: "I'll never be a Scully! I'll always be a Mulder!" he spat out the last word as if it where something so, vulgar, so distasteful, worse than the _F_ word...

She led him back to the bed room and let him sleep. She turned off the light and just looked at him as he drifted off to sleep...

"You will all ways be a Scully..." she whispered...and shut the door.

At Dinner

"Where's Fox?" asked Dana

"He's not feeling well tonight. He's sleeping."

"Oh...mom? May I be excused?"

"Sure, are you feeling all right?"

"Yea...I'm just a bit tiered."

"Ok Hun."

Dana felt worried, she walked up the stairs and slowly opened the door to her bed room. He was awake.

"Hey Fox..."

"Hey..."

"Fox, what's wrong, where did you go?"

"Teena's..."

"What? Why?"

"I just keep seeing her..."

"Fox..."

"No...Dana...she...was right..."

"About what?"

"I'll never be a Scully...I'll always be a Mulder."

"Fox...it's ok to be a Mulder...because you're different kind of Mulder...but Fox...look at me." He gazed up into her deep blue ocean eyes...god he could look into them forever...

"No matter what anyone says...you will always be a Scully too..."

He nodded and the two hugged.

One week later. Missy and Dana where washing dishes, Charlie was doing laundry, Bill was vacuuming, Fox came in.

"I finished dusting."

"Thank you Fox, will you take the trash out now?"

"Of course." he grabbed the bag, and walked outside. He put it in their can, he didn't know why but he felt like someone was staring at him...he looked around...no one was there...

"I'm to damn paranoid." he said to himself

He turned to go towards the house. When he felt something hit the back of his head...and everything went black.

Inside

"Mom, I'm done...where's Fox?" asked Dana

"He went to take the trash out several minutes ago...check out side."

She did, he wasn't there.

"He's not out side mom."

"Maybe he came back in and we didn't notice..."

They looked around the house calling "Fox?"

"He's not here!" cried out Dana in worry.

"Maybe he just went on a walk..."

After an hour of waiting they decided to call the cops.

Unknown area

Fox opened his eyes. He was tied up in the back of a car...he looked out the window all he saw where pine trees zooming past the night sky.

Where the hell where their pine trees!

He looked at the driver. He became angry when he realized who it was after one glance.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

"You can call me mom." she said with no emotion.

"YOU _ARE NOT_ MY MOTHER!" he screamed

She made no reply.

"Where are we?"

She stopped the car...

"Smilely Sun-Flower Field."

"But...this place closed down years ago..."

She pulled into park.

"I know."

She pulled Fox out. She look a brick and smashed the door lock. She pulled Fox in, and placed him on a chair. She pulled his arms around the back of the chair.

"TEENA LET ME GO RIGHT F---ING NOW!" he screamed angrily.

She pulled out a syringe out of her purse; she took it from the hospital when she went to work (she was a nurse). She took a bottle, and filled the syringe with it. She began to walk towards Fox.

"No! NO PLEASE DON'T!" He began to struggle. She injected it into his shoulder. His eyes rolled back in his head. She smoothed his hair back.

"Just sleep Fox, mommy's here."

Scully Household

"...he was just going out to take the trash out-"

"Hey, Jones..." said a cop from the door way. "We found this." He held up a rock as big as his fist. It had blood on it. Maggie covered her mouth in fear.. "We think it's the weapon."

"Weapon! You mean he's hurt!" asked Dana in tears

"Well...there was a small trail of blood that stopped at the end of the driveway..."

"Omigod!" sobbed Dana into her father's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll track it for finger prints...I suggest you just all try to go on until we find him..."

"Try to go on! TRY TO GO ON! How can we _try to go on!_ HE'S MISSING FOR GODSAKE! HE'S PART OF THE FAMILY!" screamed Dana, Her father pulled her into a hug.

Smilely Sun-Flower Field

Teena walked around the room, setting everything up.

She was cleaning, almost making it look like a nice living room or something.

Fox was still unconscious. She pulled the gun out of her purse. She began to rub it.

Fox slowly opened his eyes...jumping at remembering where he was.

"Teena...w-what are you doing...?"

"It was never supposed to be her you know." she said checking the clip and putting it back into the gun.

"What?"

"It was never supposed to Samantha, who was taken. It was supposed to be you."

"W-what?"

"Why did they have to mess it up? Why did they have to take my baby...why not...you?"

Fox just looked at her.

Scully Household

"Now...we need to find out who took hi-"

"I know who did..." said Dana "Teena Mulder."

"Are you positive-"

"Yes."

"Well we'll look in on her."

"Jones!" came the same voice from before. "We have a match on the finger prints on the rock." they all looked "Her name is Teena Mulder. She has a record."

"She does?"

"Yes, in the past her name was Francine Minces. She was arrested for assault of an officer, and the murder of her first husband and son."

They looked in shock.

"How the hell did she get off!"

"She ran. When we saw their prints matched we put the files together."

"They did some research and could never find her until now. She used to live in Olympia, Washington."

"Whoa..."

Dana choked back more tears...god only knew what she was doing...

"The hardest part will be figuring out where they went."

Dana began to rack her brain thinking.

"_Fox, why do you love those sunflower seeds so much?" _

"_My mom and dad used to take me and Sam to the sunflower fields...you got to pick your own sunflower seeds...that's the last place we went as a real family..." _

"_Oh...where...where did you go?"_

"_Smilely Sun-Flower Seed Fields..."_

_Smilely Sun-Flower Seed Fields_

"Smilely Sun-Flower Seed Fields!" called out Dana

"What?"

"Smilely Sun-Flower Seed Fields!" she said again. "He told me about them, he said it was the last real family memory he had...She took him there!"

"Let's go check it out."

"Let me come." demanded Dana

"Dana-" started her mom

"NO! I have to go!" she looked at her mom her voice lowering and cracking "I-I need to…please mama?"

Her mom just looked at her.

Smilely Sun-Flower Seed Fields

The cars slowly drove hidden behind the trees.

"Let me go in."

"Dana no, it's dangerous."

"Please, I know what I'm doing, they'll listen to me..."

There was a gun shot inside.

"S---!"

Five minutes and convincing argues later, Dana walked towards the door in a bullet proof vest. The 14 year old took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

Fox was sitting on a chair, fighting to stay awake. When he saw Dana, he looked at her pleading. He was gagged and his shoulder was bloody, must have shot him there…

"What do you want?" asked Teena checking the clip again. Dana slowly inched towards Fox, as she spoke.

"Please Teena, you know you don't want to hurt anyone..." said Dana, getting closer to Fox.

"He's my son Dana." she said

"Ms. Teena...please...he's your son...yes...but he's in our family now..."

"I love him."

"You can't just say you love him...you have to show it...and I haven't seen that."

She narrowed her eyes, the flames of anger flaring in her eyes. "What do you mean by _that_?" she asked angered

"Do you know his favorite food?"

"I...uh..."

"Corn Dogs...do you know his favorite band?"

"I don't...er...I-"

"The Beetles. Did you know earlier this year he had a brain tumor?"

"What?"

"See...you can't just claim to love someone...you need to show it...you need to be there for them...Teena...I--please…"

She bit her lip, "I...you..."anger and regret filled tears welled up in her eyes, She lifted the gun to her head.

"NO! Teena don't!"

Another gunshot rang through the air as Teena hit the floor, a bullet from her own gun, killing her.

Dana stood there for a moment in shock.

Then she turned to Fox...his eyes were closed. Dana undid the gag.

"Fox...wake up Fox please wake up..."

He opened his eyes slightly and heaved in a great breath. Getting caught on it...

"Dana..." he whispered

"Shhh…shhh...it's going to be all right."

"I love you..."

He closed his eyes as the paramedics came rushing in. She caressed his cheek and let the paramedics take over.

-----------

Epilogue

Four Years Later

Fox walked into the living room where Dana sat.

"Dana."

"Yes Fox?"

"I have some...stuff to tell you..."

"Sure Fox, what is it?"

"First off, I got into Oxford."

"FOX! That's great!...but isn't that in London?"

Fox sadly nodded.

"Oh...w-what was that other thing?"

"As dumb as this sounds-I-I don't think I'm going to be a Scully anymore..."

"What do you mean Fox?" she asked in pure confusion

"I don't want to be a Scully..."

"Why not!"

"So I can be with you."

"But you'll always be with me..."

"Not like that..."

Her eyes widened slightly. The two inched closer and closer until they could feel the other's body heat...their lips touched. They stayed like that for a while...they pulled away. Gazed into the other's eyes.

"I love you Fox..."

"I love you too Dana."

End


End file.
